Fire! Fire! Fire!

A few weeks ago, I was sitting at my station, in my office, when I suddenly looked outside to my left and saw something peculiar.  Smoke!  Dark, black smoke was billowing from what seemed like a block or two away.  I knew immediately that something was happening.  Somehow, I managed to overcome my own curiosity and set back to work.  But inside, my curiosity was burgeoning.  I couldn’t hold out, especially, when I started to hear multiple sirens and helicopters hovering above.  I could see them through the huge glass wall/doors.  That did it, but not without more resistance.  You see, I was about to travel the next day and I had so many things to do, including satisfying a client and fulfilling my quota of stock imagery for the month, since it was the end of the month and I didn’t want to leave too much work piling up to come back to

To make a long story short, after about a half hour or so, I eventually grabbed a camera, which was already fitted with a 80-200mm f2.8 nikkor lens, and an extra wide angle zoom and went running down the stairs.  For some reason, when events like this happen in my neighborhood, I generally feel shy about being a photographer on the scene, since I know that the event might involve real casualties and I still have reservations about seemingly, capitalizing on someone else’s tragedy.  And I am also well aware that on such scenes, a heavy police presence can mean friction and always the possibility of getting hassled or arrested on the scene.  In my city, this past year alone, I have been harassed by the police for simply making snapshots as I passed through the streets and I have come to realize that post 9-11 will not be an easy time for photographers who have a penchant for making images in public spaces in and around the New York metro area.  This particular moment, however, my curiosity overcame me and so off I went.

On the way to the scene, which turned out to be two perpendicular blocks away, I stopped to make a quick image of a Halloween pumpkin, wearing a black fedora hat, painted with a really glum face, sitting on some beautiful granite steps, highlighted by broken sunlight, streaming in through the tree leaves.  I thought to myself, at least, if I miss all the action at my destination, I will have already gotten this shot, which would be quite enough for the day, since I didn’t really plan on leaving the office anytime soon.

The uneasiness followed me all the way to the next two blocks, which was already lined with fire trucks and a growing crowd of people.  I began to slip my camera behind me as I approached, with trailing thoughts of shyness … I am already nearly twenty years into my photography career and I still have not arrived at a place of feeling comfortable with this type of ambulance, crime-scene-chasing style of photography.  Somehow, I don’t feel cut out for it.  My approach has always been more calculating and deliberate, but somehow, I always felt like that fear was something that I have to find a way to overcome.

Once on the scene, I realized that I was not the only person there with a camera–there were journalists, video folks and photo enthusiasts alike, all onboard.  It took me a while to feel comfortable moving in, so I used my long lens and staying at a distance, picked off quite a few images, before moving in closer for the real intimate shots.  I am glad that my reservations kept me at bay for a while, because from where I stood, I was able to capture some very interesting moments before the fire was completely extinguished. One of those memorable moments was of a fireman in the church window, being drenched with spume of water, as he axed away at something inside. Another was of a tired fireman walking out to be relieved and cascading water dropping all over him, as he walked out onto the street where the others gathered

Prior to leaving my office, I had dashing thoughts of taking a second camera body, but opted to leave it, which I found bothersome while on the scene, because I dread changing lens on location — the reason why I mainly work with just two lenses:  the 18-50mm f2.8 Sigma, Nikon mount; and 70-200mm f2.8 nikkor lens.  I find that for most situations, these two lenses are enough to get me the shot and so through time, I have really streamlined the amount of equipment that I carry on location.

My instinct to go to the scene of the fire paid off.  The situation was a really historical moment because the fire burned a turn-of-the-century Baptist church, which had served our community for well over a hundred years and it meant so much to so many people, some of whom gathered on the scene and held a fire circle in the midst of fire fighters putting out the blaze.  It is these sorts of moments that living in a close-knit city afford me.  The excitement never ends and there is always something noteworthy happening and many opportunities to grab special moments.  Being a fulltime travel and stock photographer calls for being ready to go at a moment’s notice and to always be equipped to get the shot, no matter what it takes.  It is this instinct that has helped me keep my photography fresh and exciting through the years.  So, for those of you out there who aspire towards a career in photography, remember to never lose your hunger and hunting instincts and always be equipped for the job.  Always be fearless, if you want to get that special and memorable shot.